﻿T. 
  Holm 
  — 
  Studies 
  in 
  the 
  Cyperacece. 
  121 
  

  

  Art. 
  XL 
  — 
  Studies 
  in 
  the 
  Cyperacece 
  / 
  by 
  Theo. 
  Holm. 
  

   III. 
  Carex 
  Fraseri 
  Andrews, 
  a 
  morphological 
  and 
  anatom- 
  

   ical 
  study. 
  (With 
  Plate 
  IY.) 
  

  

  This 
  very 
  rare 
  and 
  local 
  plant 
  has 
  a 
  peculiar 
  and 
  striking 
  

   appearance 
  which 
  at 
  once 
  distinguishes 
  it 
  from 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  

   other 
  species 
  of 
  Carex, 
  and 
  since 
  we 
  have, 
  also, 
  observed 
  sev- 
  

   eral 
  peculiarities 
  in 
  its 
  internal 
  structure, 
  we 
  have 
  thought 
  it 
  

   worth 
  while 
  to 
  treat 
  this 
  species 
  for 
  itself. 
  

  

  As 
  regards 
  the 
  morphological 
  characteristics 
  of 
  our 
  plant, 
  

   we 
  have 
  already 
  in 
  a 
  previous 
  paper* 
  called 
  attention 
  to 
  its 
  

   monopodial 
  ramification. 
  The 
  foliar 
  organs 
  are 
  very 
  singularly 
  

   developed 
  and 
  represented 
  by 
  four 
  or 
  five 
  scale-like, 
  membra- 
  

   nous 
  leaves 
  and 
  one 
  very 
  broad 
  and 
  deep 
  green 
  leaf, 
  being 
  the 
  

   only 
  assimilating 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  shoot. 
  

  

  The 
  scale-like 
  leaves 
  have 
  long 
  and 
  perfectly 
  closed 
  sheaths, 
  

   while 
  the 
  single, 
  proper 
  leaf 
  is 
  not 
  . 
  sheathing, 
  the 
  base 
  being 
  

   merely 
  convolute. 
  This 
  leaf 
  is, 
  then, 
  destitute 
  of 
  any 
  sheath 
  

   and 
  has 
  no 
  ligule, 
  and 
  the 
  one 
  margin 
  or 
  sometimes 
  both 
  are 
  

   minutely 
  folded, 
  giving 
  the 
  leaf 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  being 
  finely 
  

   serrate 
  along 
  the 
  margin. 
  These 
  characters, 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  sheath 
  

   and 
  of 
  ligule, 
  distinguish 
  this 
  species 
  from 
  most, 
  if 
  not 
  all 
  the 
  

   other 
  representatives 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Carex. 
  It 
  is 
  true, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  in 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  very 
  broad-leaved 
  species, 
  e. 
  g., 
  C. 
  plan- 
  

   taginea, 
  C. 
  jplatyphylla, 
  etc., 
  the 
  leaf-sheath 
  is 
  very 
  short 
  and 
  

   breaks 
  open 
  at 
  an 
  early 
  stage, 
  but 
  it 
  is, 
  nevertheless, 
  easily 
  dis- 
  

   tinguishable 
  while 
  the 
  leaf 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  bud, 
  and 
  the 
  ligule 
  is 
  

   well 
  developed 
  and 
  persists 
  for 
  a 
  long 
  time. 
  Species 
  with 
  the 
  

   leaf-margin 
  undulate, 
  as 
  in 
  Carex 
  Fraseri, 
  are 
  not 
  known 
  in 
  

   this 
  genus 
  except 
  that 
  a 
  form 
  of 
  C. 
  pallescens 
  L. 
  is 
  occasionally 
  

   met 
  with, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  bracts 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  undulate, 
  hence 
  

   the 
  distinction 
  of 
  the 
  variety 
  " 
  undulata 
  Kze." 
  The 
  question 
  

   is, 
  now, 
  to 
  decide 
  the 
  proper 
  situation 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  forms 
  of 
  

   leaves, 
  whether 
  the 
  large, 
  green 
  leaf 
  belongs 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  axis 
  

   as 
  the 
  scale-like 
  ones. 
  It 
  appears, 
  however, 
  as 
  if 
  the 
  floral 
  

   bud 
  is 
  lateral, 
  and 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  directly 
  developed 
  from 
  the 
  axil 
  

   of 
  the 
  large, 
  green 
  leaf, 
  this 
  being 
  the 
  only 
  leaf 
  of 
  the 
  central, 
  

   vegetative 
  bud. 
  The 
  central 
  bud 
  is, 
  therefore, 
  of 
  a 
  short 
  dura- 
  

   tion, 
  of 
  about 
  one 
  year 
  only. 
  By 
  examining 
  specimens 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  in 
  the 
  winter-time, 
  the 
  floral 
  buds 
  are 
  observed 
  to 
  be 
  

   situated 
  exactly 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  with 
  monopodial 
  ramifi- 
  

   cation, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  that 
  each 
  vegetative 
  shoot 
  has,, 
  in 
  

   C. 
  Fraseri 
  constantly, 
  not 
  more 
  than 
  one 
  single, 
  assimilating 
  

   leaf 
  developed. 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  this 
  Journal, 
  vol. 
  i, 
  May, 
  1896, 
  p. 
  349. 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jour. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Fourth 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  Ill, 
  No. 
  14. 
  — 
  February, 
  1897. 
  

   9 
  

  

  